Nephrocystin proteins NPHP5 and Cep290 regulate BBSome integrity, ciliary trafficking and cargo delivery.

Proper functioning of cilia, hair-like structures responsible for sensation and locomotion, requires nephrocystin-5 (NPHP5) and a multi-subunit complex called the Bardet-Biedl syndrome (BBS)ome, but their precise relationship is not understood. The BBSome is involved in the trafficking of membrane cargos to cilia. While it is known that a loss of any single subunit prevents ciliary trafficking of the BBSome and its cargos, the mechanisms underlying ciliary entry of this complex are not well characterized.